JP7419812B2 - Accounting machines, accounting methods, and recording media - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a self-checkout register installed in stores and the like.

In recent years, self-checkout systems have been increasingly introduced in supermarkets and convenience stores. Patent Document 1 describes a shopping support system in which a self-checkout register automatically performs not only payment processing but also packing processing when purchasing products at a store.

International Publication WO2017/150226 Publication

The shopping support system described in Patent Document 1 can perform payment processing and packing processing only when the products to be purchased fit in the shopping cart. In other words, it is not possible to process cases where an item does not fit into the shopping cart or when a portion of the item jumps out of the shopping cart. Specifically, in the case of an item that is too large to fit in the shopping cart, the shopping support system described above uses either the barcode reader attached to the shopping cart or the tag reader of the bagging system to display the information attached to the item. Unable to read product information. Therefore, it was necessary to process only items that fit in the shopping cart, or to use a regular POS cash register.

The main objective of the present invention is to enable a self-checkout system that automatically performs payment processing and packing processing to process items without problems even when the shopping cart contains items that are too large to fit in the shopping cart. do.

In one aspect of this disclosure, an accounting machine that performs accounting for products includes:
a large product detection unit that detects that the product is a large product that cannot fit in a container;
an alert output unit that outputs an alert when the large product is detected;
Equipped with
The accounting machine includes a code reader capable of reading product identification information from a code attached to each product,
The alert output unit outputs a message instructing the code reader to read the product identification information from a code attached to the large product .

In another aspect of the present invention, an accounting method is provided with a code reader capable of reading product identification information from a code attached to each product, and is executed by an accounting machine that performs accounting for products.
detecting that the product is a large product that cannot fit in the container;
When the large product is detected, a message is output as an alert instructing the code reader to read the product identification information from the code attached to the large product .

In yet another aspect of the invention, the recording medium is
Detects that the product is too large to fit in the container,
A program is recorded that causes a computer to execute a process of outputting, as an alert, a message instructing a code reader to read product identification information from a code attached to the large product when the large product is detected .

According to the present invention, in a self-checkout register or the like that automatically performs checkout processing and packing processing, even if the shopping cart contains items that are too large to fit in the shopping cart, the processing can be carried out without any problem.

1 shows a configuration of a purchase management system according to an embodiment. A schematic configuration of a POS server is shown. The schematic configuration of the accounting machine is shown. It is a flowchart of product purchase processing. This is a display example of a purchased product list screen. It is a flowchart of improved product purchase processing. This is an example of a confirmation screen. This is a display example of a purchase product list screen in improved product purchase processing. It is a display example of the confirmation screen in the fourth modification.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[Purchase management system configuration]
FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a purchase management system 100 according to this embodiment. The purchase management system 100 mainly includes a POS server 1, a camera 3, and a checkout machine 5. The purchase management system 100 is installed in stores such as supermarkets and convenience stores. A customer places the product to be purchased into a basket 20 in a store that sells products. When the customer places the basket 20 containing the product in a predetermined position on the checkout machine 5, the checkout machine 5 reads the RFID (Radio Frequency IDentifier) tag attached to the product and identifies the product to be purchased (“purchased product”). ). When the payment for the purchased items is completed, the accounting machine 5 automatically packs the purchased items into a plastic bag or the like. Customers can automatically receive packed goods.

The POS server 1 is a server that manages various sales information such as product information including prices and inventory status of products sold at stores, and store sales information. The POS server 1 can communicate with the accounting machine 5 via a network or the like. Note that the POS server 1 may be one that collectively manages sales information of a plurality of affiliated stores, or may be one that exists for each store and manages only the sales information of that store.

The accounting machine 5 is a payment machine (so-called self-payment machine) for customers to make payment. The accounting machine 5 is capable of communicating with the POS server 1, and exchanges various information necessary for settlement as necessary. The checkout machine 5 includes a handy barcode reader 56 for reading product barcodes attached to the goods, a light 57 for calling a store clerk, and a sensor 72x for detecting when a customer comes to the checkout machine 5. , a large product detection unit 74 that detects that a customer has a product 25 that is too large to fit in the basket 20 (hereinafter also referred to as a "large product"). Furthermore, the checkout machine 5 includes a counter stand 80 for temporarily placing the basket 20 and products, a storage section 90 for placing the basket 20 for payment, and a shutter 91 for opening and closing the upper part of the storage section 90. Equipped with a card insertion slot 92 for paying with a credit card, a cash slot 93 for paying with cash, a change collection slot 94 for taking out change, and an issuing slot 95 for issuing receipts and stickers. There is.

The camera 3 is for photographing the cars 20 of customers lining up for payment, and is capable of communicating with the accounting machine 5. The camera 3 photographs the customer who has come to the position of the checkout machine 5 and transmits the photographed image to the checkout machine 5.

[Device configuration]
Next, each configuration of the POS server 1 and the accounting machine 5 will be explained with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.

(POS server)
FIG. 2 shows a schematic configuration of the POS server 1. The POS server 1 mainly includes a storage section 13, a communication section 14 that performs data communication, and a control section 15. These elements are interconnected by bus lines 10.

The storage unit 13 is composed of a memory such as a hard disk or a flash memory. The storage unit 13 stores a program executed by the control unit 15 and information necessary for the control unit 15 to execute a predetermined process by executing the program. In this embodiment, the storage unit 13 includes selling price change information 17, a product information DB (Database) 18, and sales information 19 that is information related to product sales. Note that the storage unit 13 may store various types of sales-related information other than the selling price change information 17, product information DB 18, and sales information 19.

The product information DB 18 is a database of information regarding products handled by stores or affiliated stores including stores. The product information DB 18 stores various types of information such as product prices, information for identifying products such as JAN (Japanese Article Number) codes (also referred to as "product identification information"), product classification information, and product inventory status. Contains information.

Selling price change information 17 is information regarding changes in selling prices. Specifically, the selling price change information 17 includes classification discount information, bundle discount information, set discount information, total amount discount information, classification discount information, bundle discount information, set discount information, and total amount discount information. It includes at least one of arbitrary discount information or discount information such as.

The control unit 15 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. (not shown), and performs various controls on each component within the POS server 1. For example, the control unit 15 provides information regarding the product information DB 18 to the accounting machine 5 by communicating with the accounting machine 5 via the communication unit 14 .

(accounting machine)
FIG. 3 shows a schematic configuration of the accounting machine 5. The checkout machine 5 mainly includes a display section 51, an input section 52, a storage section 53, a communication section 54, a control section 55, a handy barcode reader 56, a light 57, a speaker 58, and a car detection section. 59, a packing device 60, a customer detection section 72, and a large product detection section 74. Each of these elements is interconnected via a bus line 50.

The display unit 51 displays various information such as a purchased product list screen and a payment screen under the control of the control unit 55. The input unit 52 is an interface that accepts customer input, and includes, for example, a touch panel, buttons, and the like. Note that in this embodiment, the display section 51 is configured by a touch panel, and also has the function of the input section 52.

The storage unit 53 is constituted by a memory such as a hard disk or flash memory. The storage unit 53 stores a program executed by the control unit 55 and information necessary for the control unit 55 to execute a predetermined process by executing the program. For example, the storage unit 53 stores a dedicated application program that operates when a customer makes a payment and performs product purchase processing.

The control unit 55 includes a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc. (not shown), and performs various controls on each component within the accounting machine 5. The control executed by the control unit 55 will be described later. The handy barcode reader 56 reads the product barcode attached to the product by a customer's reading operation when the RFID tag attached to the product cannot be read, and supplies the read information to the control unit 55. The light 57 is turned on when a malfunction occurs in the checkout machine 5 or when a clerk is called. The speaker 58 outputs operation sounds, voice messages, etc. to call attention as necessary.

The car detection unit 59 detects whether the car 20 is placed at a predetermined position. In this embodiment, the predetermined position is on the bottom surface of the accommodating portion 90 of the counter stand 80. The car detection unit 59 detects whether the car 20 is placed at a predetermined position using a weight sensor installed on the bottom surface of the storage unit 90. Note that instead of detecting the car 20 with the weight sensor, the car 20 may be optically detected with an infrared device or the like. Further, by placing the car 20, the presence of the car 20 may be detected depending on whether a physical switch provided on the bottom surface of the storage section 90 is pressed. The control unit 55 closes the shutter 91 when the car detection unit 59 detects that the car 20 is placed at a predetermined position.

When the payment for the purchased products in the basket 20 is completed, the packing device 60 opens the bottom of the storage section 90 and the bottom of the basket 20, and moves the purchased products to a bag installed at the bottom of the storage section 90. This automatically packs the items. Specifically, the floor plate of the car 20 is attached so as to be openable and closable, as shown in FIG. The bottom of the basket 20 is opened by opening the floor plate in the direction of the arrow, and the products can be moved downward, that is, to the packing device 60. Note that the packing device 60 is not limited to a mechanism that moves purchased products downward in the basket 20 as in this embodiment, but may be a mechanism that moves purchased products sideways in the basket 20. That is, the packing device 60 may be any device that automatically packs the purchased products in the basket 20 into a container that the customer can take home, such as a plastic bag, an eco bag, or a cardboard box.

The customer detection unit 72 detects that a customer has come to the accounting machine 5 for payment. The customer detection unit 72 may optically detect the customer using a sensor 72x that uses infrared rays or the like, or may detect when some information is input through the input unit 52 of the accounting machine 5, for example, when the touch panel is touched. Customers may also be detected by, for example. Further, the customer detection unit 72 may detect a customer by acquiring an image taken by the camera 3 via the communication unit 54 and analyzing the acquired image.

The large product detection unit 74 detects that the product owned by the customer is the large product 25. In other words, it is detected that the customer has one or more large items 25. If the product is a large product, the customer places it on the counter stand 80 of the checkout machine 5 or holds it in his/her hand. For example, the storage unit 53 stores in advance information regarding the shape and volume of each large product, along with information indicating whether each product is a large product that is too large to fit in the basket 20. When a customer is detected by the customer detection unit 72, the large product detection unit 74 acquires an image of the customer from the camera 3 via the communication unit 54, and acquires the image based on the information stored in the storage unit 53. By analyzing the image, it is detected whether the customer owns the large product 25 or not.

Note that, instead of using the camera 3, a camera is built into the accounting machine 5, for example, in the upper part of the display section 51, and by analyzing the image taken by the camera, it is possible to determine whether or not the customer has the large product 25. It may also be possible to detect whether Furthermore, it may be determined whether or not the customer has the large product 25 based on a more accurate analysis result in conjunction with the image acquired from the camera 3. For example, in the case of a large product 25b that cannot be placed on the counter stand 80, there is a possibility that the large product 25b cannot be recognized in the image taken by the camera built into the checkout machine 5 because the distance is too close. In such a case, an image taken by the camera 3 taken at a certain distance and viewed from above may be analyzed.

[Product purchase processing]
Next, the basic operation of product purchase processing by the purchase management system 100 will be explained. The product purchase process is a process in which a customer purchases a product at a store. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an overview of the product purchase process. Note that the product purchase process is mainly realized by the accounting machine 5 executing a program prepared in advance.

First, when a customer enters the store, he/she takes one basket 20a from the basket storage area and puts the product he/she wishes to purchase into the basket 20a. After placing all the purchased items in the basket 20a, the customer places the basket 20a in the storage section 90 of the checkout machine 5 in order to pay the bill. The control unit 55 of the checkout machine 5 determines whether the car detection unit 59 has detected that the car 20a has been placed at a predetermined position (step S101). If it is not detected that the car 20a is placed in the predetermined position (step S101: No), the control unit 55 waits until the car 20 is detected.

When it is detected that the basket 20 is placed in a predetermined position (step S101: Yes), the control unit 55 closes the shutter 91 and communicates with the RFID tag attached to the product in the basket 20a. Product identification information of the purchased product is acquired (step S102). Next, the control unit 55 creates a purchased product list by referring to the product information DB 18 of the POS server 1 based on the obtained product identification information via the communication unit 54 (step S103). The purchased product list is a list that includes, for example, product identification information indicating purchased products, product names, planned purchase quantities of the products, prices, and the like.

Then, the control unit 55 displays a purchase item list screen on the display unit 51 based on the created purchase item list. FIG. 5 shows a display example of the purchased product list screen. In this example, the purchased product list screen includes a list display field 41, a subtotal display field 42, a total amount display field 43, a settlement button 45, and a cancel button 46. The list display field 41 displays the name, quantity, and price of each purchased product. The subtotal display field 42 displays the subtotal of prices for all products in the purchased product list excluding tax, and the total amount display field 43 displays the total amount including tax for all products in the purchase product list.

The customer confirms the purchased products and total amount displayed on the purchased product list screen, and presses the settlement button 45 to make payment. The control unit 55 determines whether a payment request by pressing the payment button 45 has been received (step S104). If the customer realizes that he or she has forgotten to buy a product and presses the cancel button 46 (step S104: No), the process ends. On the other hand, if it is determined that the payment request has been received (step S104: Yes), the control unit 55 performs payment of the purchase price (step S105). Specifically, the control unit 55 first allows the customer to select a payment method such as cash or credit via the display unit 51 and input unit 52. When the customer chooses to pay in cash, the control unit 55 prompts the customer to insert cash into the cash slot 93 of the accounting machine 5, and when the customer inserts the cash, pays change as necessary. If the customer chooses to pay by credit card, the control unit 55 prompts the customer to insert the card into the card slot 92 of the accounting machine 5, input a password, etc., and performs credit card payment.

Then, the control unit 55 determines whether the settlement is completed by the customer's payment (step S106). If it is determined that the payment has not been completed (step S106: No), the control unit 55 waits until the customer completes the payment. On the other hand, if it is determined that the payment has been completed (step S106: Yes), the control unit 55 controls the packing device 60 to pack the purchased products (step S107). When the packing is completed, the control section 55 opens the shutter 91. As a result, the customer can receive the purchased products automatically packed when payment is completed. At this time, the basket 20a may be collected by the packing device 60, or may be removed by the customer and returned to the basket storage area when the shutter 91 opens.

In the above example, the control unit 55 packs the purchased products when it is determined in step S106 that the payment has been completed, but the control unit 55 packs the purchased products in bags before the payment is completed. You can also pack it up. In this case, the control unit 55 opens the shutter 91 when determining that the payment has been completed, thereby providing the customer with the filled bag. Furthermore, in the above example, the control unit 55 acquires product identification information and creates and displays the purchased product list in steps S102 and S103, but it may be necessary to pack the items before the payment is completed. For example, product identification information may be acquired by communicating with an RFID tag during packing, and a product list may be created and displayed.

[Product purchase processing when large products are included]
In the above-mentioned product purchase process, the accounting machine 5 can perform the product purchase process only when the purchased products can fit in the basket 20. In other words, if the purchased products include the large product 25, it cannot be processed. Specifically, product identification information for identifying each product cannot be automatically read from the large product 25.

Therefore, in this embodiment, even when the purchased products include the large-sized product 25, the product can be purchased. Hereinafter, a product purchase process (hereinafter referred to as "improved product purchase process") that can be executed even when the large product 25 is included will be described. In the improved product purchase process, when a customer comes to the checkout machine 5 for payment, it is determined whether the customer has a large product 25 or not, and the purchase of the product is proceeded according to the result of the determination. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the improved product purchase process. The improved product purchase process is mainly realized by the accounting machine 5 executing a program prepared in advance.

First, when the customer enters the store, he/she takes one basket 20 from the basket storage area and puts the product he/she wishes to purchase into the basket 20. When the product that the customer wants to purchase is a large product 25, the customer cannot put it in the basket 20, so the customer holds the large product 25 by hand or places it on the bottom of the cart used to carry the basket 20. After selecting all the products, the customer takes the basket 20 and the large products 25 to the accounting machine 5 for payment. At this time, the customer places the basket 20 containing products other than the large products 25 in the storage section 90. The large product 25 is placed on the counter stand 80 or held by the customer. For example, the large product 25a shown in FIG. 1 is placed on the counter stand 80 either as is or in a new basket 20b. Since it is difficult to place the large product 25b on the counter stand 80, the customer must hold it by hand.

The control unit 55 of the checkout machine 5 first determines whether the customer detection unit 72 has detected that the customer has come to the position of the checkout machine 5 (step S301). If it is determined that the customer has not come to the checkout machine 5 (step S301: No), the control unit 55 waits until the customer is detected. On the other hand, if it is determined that the customer has come to the checkout machine 5 (step S301: Yes), the control unit 55 determines whether the large product detection unit 74 has detected that the customer has the large product 25. is determined (step S302).

If it is determined that the large product 25 is not present (step S302: No), the control unit 55 proceeds to the process of step S306. On the other hand, if it is determined that the large product 25 is present (step S302: Yes), the control unit 55 outputs an alert to the display unit 51 (step S303). For example, as shown in FIG. 7(A), the display unit 51 may display an alert message such as ``There are large items that cannot fit into the basket, so it is not possible to identify or pay for the purchased items. Display a message such as "Please read this." If the guidance is displayed even though the customer does not have the large product 25 due to an error in image analysis by the large product detection unit 74 or the like, the customer presses the stop button 32 to end the process.

If the customer has the large product 25, the customer presses the OK button 31 and reads the product barcode attached to the large product 25 with the handy barcode reader 56. Codes used as product barcodes include, in addition to the JAN code, the EAN (European Article Number) code used in Europe and the like, and the UPC (Universal Article Number) used in the United States and the like. If there are multiple large products, the customer reads the multiple product barcodes with the handy barcode reader 56. Note that the handy barcode reader 56 may be an RFID tag reader, and in this case, the customer will read the RFID tag attached to the large product 25.

Thereby, the control unit 55 of the accounting machine 5 acquires the product identification information of the large product 25 owned by the customer (step S304). After acquiring the product identification information of the large product 25, the control unit 55 determines whether the customer has any other large product other than the large product 25 (step S305).

Specifically, the control unit 55 causes the display unit 51 to display a confirmation screen such as “Are there any other large items that cannot be added to the cart?” as shown in FIG. 7(B), and responds to the information input by the customer. Based on this, it is determined whether or not there are other large products. When the confirmation screen is displayed, the customer presses the YES button 33 if there are other large products whose product bar codes have not yet been read, or presses the NO button 34 if there are no other large products. Based on such input information by the customer, the control unit 55 determines whether there are other large products.

Note that the control unit 55 may determine whether or not the large product 25 has another large product based on the product identification information of the large product 25 acquired in step S304 and the result of analyzing the image. Specifically, the product information DB 18 of the POS server 1 also stores the shape of the product in advance in association with the product identification information. The control unit 55 specifies the product name and shape of the large product 25 by referring to the product information DB 18 based on the obtained product identification information of the large product 25. The large product detection unit 74 analyzes the image obtained from the camera 3 by comparing it with the specified product name and shape to determine whether or not other large products other than the large product 25 exist in the image. can be determined. In this way, by determining whether there are other large products based on the confirmation screen or image analysis, the control unit 55 can prevent mistakes such as a customer leaving the store without paying for the large product 25. can be reduced.

If the customer has another large product (step S305: Yes), the control unit 55 returns to step S303 and performs the process. On the other hand, if the customer does not have other large products (step S305: No), the control unit 55 detects that the basket 20 containing products other than the large products 25 is placed at a predetermined position. It is determined whether the unit 59 has detected it (step S306). If it is not detected that the basket 20 has been placed in the predetermined position (step S306: No), the control unit 55 determines that there are no purchased products other than the large product 25, and proceeds to step S308. On the other hand, if it is detected that the basket 20 has been placed in the predetermined position (step S306: Yes), the control unit 55 closes the shutter 91 and communicates with the RFID tag attached to the product to place the basket 20 in the predetermined position. The product identification information of the product being displayed is acquired (step S307). The control unit 55 then searches the product information DB 18 of the POS server 1 based on the product identification information of the large product 25 obtained in step S304 and the product identification information of the product in the basket 20 obtained in step S307. By referring to it, a list of purchased items is created and stored. In the created purchased product list, whether or not the product is a large product is also stored in association with the product identification information and product name. Then, the control unit 55 displays a purchase product list screen on the display unit 51 based on the created purchase product list (step S308).

Note that if the purchased products include a large product 25, as shown in FIG. 8, a large product mark 47 indicating that the product is a large product may be displayed in the list display field 41 of the purchased product list screen. good. As will be described later, since large items cannot be placed into bags by the packing device 60, completion of payment is indicated by pasting a sticker. Therefore, it is convenient for the customer to be able to check which products are large products, how many large products there are, etc. in the list display field 41.

The customer confirms the purchased products and total amount displayed on the purchased product list screen, and presses the settlement button 45 to make payment. Specifically, the control unit 55 determines whether a payment request by pressing the payment button 45 has been received (step S309). If the customer realizes that he or she has forgotten to buy a product and presses the cancel button 46 (step S309: No), the process ends. On the other hand, if it is determined that the payment request has been received (step S309: Yes), the control unit 55 settles the purchase price (step S310).

Then, the control unit 55 determines whether the settlement is completed by the customer's payment (step S311). If it is determined that the payment has not been completed (step S311: No), the process waits until the customer completes the payment. On the other hand, if it is determined that the payment has been completed (step S311: Yes), the control unit 55 controls the packing device 60 to pack the purchased products in the basket 20 (step S312). Specifically, the control unit 55 opens the floorboard of the basket 20 to move the purchased products to a bag installed at the lower part of the storage unit 90, and controls the packing device 60 to perform packing.

Furthermore, the control unit 55 determines whether the purchased products include the large product 25 (step S313). If the large product 25 is not included (step S313: No), the control unit 55 opens the shutter 91, automatically provides the packed bag to the customer so that it can be received, and ends the process. On the other hand, if the large product 25 is included (step S313: Yes), the control unit 55 issues a sticker indicating completion of payment from the issuing port 95 according to the number of large products included (step S314). ). Since the sticker indicates the completion of payment, in principle one sticker will be issued for each large item. Further, the control unit 55 opens the shutter 91 and automatically provides the packed bag in a state where the customer can receive it. Thereby, the customer can affix a sticker to the large product 25 and receive the purchased products that were in the basket 20 in a packed state.

In the above example, a sticker indicating completion of payment is issued to the large product 25, but a large bag into which the large product can be placed may be provided. In this case, for example, when the shutter 91 is opened to provide automatically packed products, a large bag is also provided. At this time, the large product 25 may be provided with the opening of the large bag open so that the customer can easily put the large product 25 into the large bag.

Further, when the control unit 55 completes the payment process, the control unit 55 may display a selection screen asking whether to request a sticker to be attached to the large product 25 or a bag to put the large product 25 in, and the customer may select. .

As explained above, according to the improved product purchase process, the purchase process can be performed without any problem even if the product is too large to fit in the shopping cart.

[Modified example]
Modifications of the above embodiment will be described below. Note that the following modifications can be implemented in combination as appropriate.
(First modification)
In the above embodiment, in step S307 of the product purchase process, the checkout machine 5 acquires product identification information of the purchased product by reading the RFID tag attached to the product in the basket 20. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the customer may obtain product identification information by having a barcode reader in the basket 20 read a product barcode attached to a purchased product.

In this case, the car 20 is provided with a barcode reader having a communication function with the outside. When a customer places a product in the basket 20, the customer reads the product barcode attached to the product using a barcode reader. Note that the barcode reader is provided so that at least the part that performs reading is exposed on the outer surface of the car 20.

Specifically, when a customer enters the store, the basket 20 is initialized and placed in the basket storage area with the battery charged. The customer freely moves around the store while holding the basket 20 taken from the basket storage area, and puts purchased items into the basket 20 one by one. At this time, the customer causes the barcode reader of the basket 20 to read the product barcode attached to each purchased product, and then places the purchased product into the basket 20. The barcode reader of the basket 20 stores the read product identification information. In this way, by having the barcode reader read the product barcode each time a customer places a purchased product in the basket 20, the barcode reader can read the product identification information of all purchased products placed in the basket 20. You will remember it. Therefore, when the barcode reader receives a request for product identification information from the accounting machine 5 in the product purchasing process, it transmits the stored product identification information to the accounting machine 5. That is, in this modification, the checkout machine 5 creates a list of purchased products by referring to the product information DB 18 of the POS server 1 based on the product identification information acquired from the basket 20, rather than by communicating with the RFID tag. I will do it.

In addition, instead of the barcode reader of the cart 20, a mobile terminal used by the customer may be used as a system that reads the product barcode and transmits the obtained product identification information to the checkout machine 5 upon request. good.

(Second modification)
In the improved product purchase process described above, a sticker or a large bag is provided directly from the checkout machine 5 as an indication that payment for the large product 25 has been completed. Instead, for example, a two-dimensional barcode is printed on the receipt issued by the accounting machine 5 when payment is completed, and the customer holds the two-dimensional barcode over a reading device installed at a predetermined location in the store. It is also possible to provide stickers or large bags. Further, the accounting machine 5 may issue an exchange ticket or the like on which only a two-dimensional barcode is printed instead of a receipt. In this case, when the payment is completed, the control unit 55 creates a two-dimensional barcode indicating the number of large products based on the purchased product list, prints the two-dimensional barcode on the receipt or voucher, and prints the two-dimensional barcode on the receipt or voucher. Published from 95 onwards.

(Third modification)
If a customer is detected in the improved product purchase process described above (step S301: Yes), the control unit 55 first displays a confirmation screen such as "Are there any large products that cannot fit in the basket?" The process may be performed after the user selects the presence or absence of 25, or the user may be guided to a dedicated counter such as a service counter or an employee may be called. The large product detection unit 74 determines whether or not the customer owns the large product 25 through image analysis, but it is possible that the large product 25 may be confused with a bag or the like belonging to the customer, resulting in an error in the determination. Conceivable. In this regard, if the customer is allowed to select the presence or absence of the large product 25 in advance using the confirmation screen before proceeding with the process, even if a decision error occurs due to image analysis, payment can proceed correctly.

(Fourth modification)
In step S302, the large-sized product detection unit 74 may determine not only whether or not the customer owns the large-sized product 25, but also the number of large-sized products 25 that the customer owns by image analysis. In this case, based on the determined number of items, the control unit 55 displays the message ``Are there 2 large items?'' Large items that cannot fit into the basket cannot be automatically identified. Display a confirmation screen such as "Please scan the product barcode." If the number is correct, the customer presses the YES button 35 and reads the product barcode of the large product 25 of that number using the handy barcode reader 56. On the other hand, if the number is incorrect, the customer presses the NO button 36, inputs the correct number via the input unit 52, and reads the product barcode of the correct number of large products 25.

According to this, since the number of large items 25 is determined at the beginning of the process, the control unit 55 does not need to repeatedly display a confirmation screen such as "Are there any other large items that cannot be added to the basket?" , processing can be performed smoothly.

In addition, part or all of each of the above embodiments (including modified examples, the same applies hereinafter) may be described as in the following supplementary notes, but is not limited to the following.

(Additional note 1)
An accounting machine for accounting for products,
a large product detection unit that detects that the product is a large product that cannot fit in a container;
an alert output unit that outputs an alert when the large product is detected;
An accounting machine equipped with

(Additional note 2)
The accounting machine includes a code reader capable of reading product identification information from a code attached to each product,
The accounting machine according to supplementary note 1, wherein the alert output unit outputs a message instructing the code reader to read the product identification information from a code attached to the large product.

(Additional note 3)
a customer detection unit that detects that a customer has come to the location of the accounting machine;
a customer image acquisition unit that acquires a customer image of the customer when the customer detection unit detects that the customer has arrived;
Equipped with
The accounting machine according to supplementary note 2, wherein the large product detection unit detects that the product owned by the customer is the large product by analyzing the customer image.

(Additional note 4)
a product information acquisition unit that acquires product information in which the product identification information of each product is associated with the price of each product;
a large product identification information acquisition unit that obtains the product identification information read from a code attached to the large product by the code reader as large product identification information;
Based on the large product identification information and the product information, create a purchase product list including the product, information indicating whether the product is the large product, the price of the product, and the total amount. A purchasing product list creation section to create;
a payment unit that performs payment based on the purchased product list;
a providing unit that provides an item indicating completion of payment corresponding to the number of large items when the payment by the payment unit is completed;
The accounting machine according to appendix 3, comprising:

(Appendix 5)
a container product identification information acquisition unit that acquires the product identification information of the product contained in the container as container product identification information;
a packing section that packs the products contained in the containers into bags when the settlement section has completed the settlement;
Equipped with
The accounting machine according to supplementary note 4, wherein the purchase product list creation unit creates the purchase product list based on the large product identification information, the container product identification information, and the product information.

(Appendix 6)
comprising a large product determination unit that determines whether the customer has another large product different from the large product corresponding to the large product identification information;
The accounting machine according to appendix 4 or 5, wherein the payment unit performs the payment when the large product determination unit determines that the other large product does not exist.

(Appendix 7)
a large product information storage unit that stores large product information regarding the shape and volume of each large product;
a number determination unit that determines the number of large products owned by the customer by analyzing the customer image based on the large product information;
Equipped with
The large product determination unit is configured to determine whether the customer has purchased the other large product if the number determined by the number determination unit and the number of large product identification information acquired by the large product identification information acquisition unit match. The accounting machine set forth in Appendix 6 that is determined not to have the following.

(Appendix 8)
a code creation unit that creates a code indicating the number of large products based on the purchase product list;
8. The accounting machine according to any one of Supplementary Notes 4 to 7, wherein the providing unit provides paper on which a code created by the code creating unit is printed as an indication of completion of the payment.

(Appendix 9)
An accounting method performed by an accounting machine that performs accounting for products,
detecting that the product is a large product that cannot fit in the container;
An accounting method that outputs an alert when the large item is detected.

(Appendix 10)
Detects that the product is too large to fit in the container,
A recording medium that records a program that causes a computer to execute a process of outputting an alert when the large-sized product is detected.

1 POS server 3 Camera 5 Accounting machine 20 Cart 60 Packing device 74 Large product detection section 80 Counter stand 90 Storage section 91 Shutter

Claims (10)

An accounting machine for accounting for products,
a large product detection unit that detects that the product is a large product that cannot fit in a container;
an alert output unit that outputs an alert when the large product is detected;
Equipped with
The accounting machine includes a code reader capable of reading product identification information from a code attached to each product,
The alert output unit is an accounting machine that outputs a message instructing the code reader to read the product identification information from a code attached to the large product . a customer detection unit that detects that a customer has come to the location of the accounting machine;
a customer image acquisition unit that acquires a customer image of the customer when the customer detection unit detects that the customer has arrived;
Equipped with
The accounting machine according to claim 1 , wherein the large-sized product detection unit detects that the product owned by the customer is the large-sized product by analyzing the customer image. a product information acquisition unit that acquires product information in which the product identification information of each product is associated with the price of each product;
a large product identification information acquisition unit that obtains the product identification information read from a code attached to the large product by the code reader as large product identification information;
Based on the large product identification information and the product information, create a purchase product list including the product, information indicating whether the product is the large product, the price of the product, and the total amount. A purchasing product list creation section to create;
a payment unit that performs payment based on the purchased product list;
a providing unit that provides an item indicating completion of payment corresponding to the number of large items when the payment by the payment unit is completed;
The accounting machine according to claim 2 , comprising: a container product identification information acquisition unit that acquires the product identification information of the product contained in the container as container product identification information;
a packing section that packs the products contained in the containers into bags when the settlement section has completed the settlement;
Equipped with
4. The accounting machine according to claim 3 , wherein the purchased product list creation section creates the purchased product list based on the large product identification information, the container product identification information, and the product information. comprising a large product determination unit that determines whether the customer has another large product different from the large product corresponding to the large product identification information;
5. The accounting machine according to claim 3 , wherein the payment section performs the payment when the large product determination section determines that the other large product does not exist. a large product information storage unit that stores large product information regarding the shape and volume of each large product;
a number determination unit that determines the number of large products owned by the customer by analyzing the customer image based on the large product information;
Equipped with
The large product determination unit is configured to determine whether the customer has purchased the other large product if the number determined by the number determination unit and the number of large product identification information acquired by the large product identification information acquisition unit match. The accounting machine according to claim 5 , wherein the accounting machine determines that the accounting machine does not have the following. a code creation unit that creates a code indicating the number of large products based on the purchase product list;
The accounting machine according to any one of claims 3 to 6 , wherein the providing unit provides paper on which a code created by the code creation unit is printed as an indication of the completion of the payment. The accounting machine according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the container includes a basket. An accounting method that is equipped with a code reader capable of reading product identification information from a code attached to each product and is executed by an accounting machine that performs accounting for products,
detecting that the product is a large product that cannot fit in the container;
When the large-sized product is detected, the accounting method outputs a message as an alert instructing the code reader to read the product identification information from a code attached to the large-sized product . Detects that the product is too large to fit in the container,
A recording medium storing a program that causes a computer to execute a process of outputting a message as an alert instructing a code reader to read product identification information from a code attached to the large product when the large product is detected .

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